The Foodshed Alliance is launching an emergency GoFundMe to ensure farmers can continue growing, families can access fresh food, and our shared natural resources remain protected—despite delayed federal grant disbursements.

We’ve served New Jersey communities through USDA-supported programs that strengthen food security, farmland access, and environmental stewardship. While grants have never been our only funding source, more than 50% of our budget relies on them—and now, essential funds are being withheld. These funds directly support farmers, fight food insecurity, and build a sustainable local food system. We remain committed to fulfilling our work, but without guaranteed reimbursement, we are forced to cut services to farmers and reduce staff hours.

What’s at Stake?

• Farmers Losing Land & Market Access – Without support, small farms may not survive, affecting local food production.
• Families Losing Access to Fresh Food – Our free pop-up markets and food pantry partnerships may be scaled back, leaving shelves empty.
• Gleaning Initiative at Risk – Thousands of pounds of farm-fresh food could go to waste instead of feeding those in need.
  

How You Can Help

The Foodshed Alliance is calling on the community to rally behind this fundraiser to bridge the funding gap while seeking long-term solutions. Every dollar raised will go directly toward keeping farmland in production, ensuring families continue receiving fresh food, and sustaining programs that support a healthy local food system.

Donate today and help protect the future of local farms and food access

A Word from our Executive Director, Kendrya Close

Campaign Progress & Updates

We will be updating this page regularly with fundraising progress, stories from impacted farmers and families, and ways to continue supporting our mission.

For media inquiries, interviews, or more information on how to get involved, please contact Kendrya Close at kendrya@foodshedalliance.org.

About Foodshed Alliance 
The Foodshed Alliance is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening sustainable farming, increasing food access, and protecting the environment. By supporting farmers, distributing fresh food to families, and preserving local farmland, the Foodshed Alliance works to create a resilient, equitable food system.

More ways to Support our Mission:

Join us in this urgent effort. Together, we can keep farmers farming and families fed.

May 2025:

Certainly, Uncertain

We continue to be caught between what we know and what we don’t.

What’s certain is this:

• We’re certain that families in our communities still need access to fresh, healthy food.

• We’re certain that farmers still need land, support, and fair markets.
• We’re certain that protecting our environment is essential.

Still uncertain:

We’re still facing uncertainty when it comes to the federal grants that fund major parts of our programs. It is not clear whether all of the federal grants we included in our budget will be available this year. As a result, our positive cash flow is in jeopardy.

But the mission remains crystal clear.

We keep showing up.

We keep working with farmers, sketching out futures even when the map is still missing pieces.

We keep providing farm food to food pantries to feed families in need.

We continue to work for a healthy watershed and clean water.

And thanks to you, we can keep showing up.

We’re still out there in the fields, at the markets, and on the ground every day, serving, connecting, and growing.

Your donations are filling the gap while we wait for the dust to settle with our federal funding. Every dollar is making a direct impact right now.

We’ll continue to do what we’ve always done: stay grounded, stay local, and stay committed. We promise to keep you updated as soon as we hear anything new. Until then, thank you for standing with us in this time that is “certainly uncertain.”

June 2025:

Fighting for Answers. Fighting for Our Food System.

We want to share an important update with you, our incredible supporters.

Right now, we are still in limbo. Despite doing everything in our power to get clarity, it remains unclear whether our federal grants—critical to our work—will be honored.

Here’s what we’ve been doing to get answers and keep our mission moving forward:

• We’ve been in close communication with our federal legislators and USDA officials.
• We’ve partnered with Earthjustice, the nation’s leading nonprofit environmental law firm, to take legal action and push for accountability.
• We’re working alongside a national coalition of affected grantees—meeting weekly to share information, resources, and strategies to navigate this crisis.

Through all of this, we remain focused on what matters most: supporting local farmers, promoting fresh and accessible food, and protecting the land we all depend on.

This fight isn’t easy—but your support is making it possible.
Please continue to share and contribute to our GoFundMe. It is helping sustain our work during this uncertain time and defending the future of our local food system.